title: Heart rate and blood pressure resting levels and responses to generic stressors in Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: Resting heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured on 3 successive mornings in the homes of drug-free Vietnam combat veterans, classified on the basis of DSM-III-R criteria into current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 20) or non-PTSD (n = 15). Responses to three generic stressor challenges (orthostatic, mental arithmetic, and cold pressor) were also measured. In the orthostatic stressor condition, DBP increased over time in the non-PTSD, but not in the PTSD, veterans, suggesting a paradoxically reduced autonomic response in PTSD. There were no other significant group differences in resting levels or responses to any of the challenges for any measure.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center Research Service, Manchester, New Hampshire 03103, USA.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Meyerhoff
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Pitman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014744:Vietnam; D014857:Warfare